Biodeterioration of historic timber structures: A comparative analysis

Abstract

Service life of timber structures in the north of Europe is decreased mainly by biological agents. Increasing risk of biological infestation due to global warming is widely discussed nowadays. Historic timber structures which have been monitored for decades provide us with valuable information on this subject. An investigation of the structures in the Kizhi museum, located in the northwest of Russia was carried out in the 1970s and in 2011–2012. Identification of wood-decay fungi that destroy constructive elements of seventeenth- and nineteenth-century monuments showed that the most frequent damages are caused by brown rot fungi. At the same time, imperfect fungi and ascomycetes which cause soft rot began to play a significant role in damaging historic timber structures. Borers (Hadrobregmus pertinax L. and H. confusus Kraaz) play the leading part in reducing the service life of seventeenth- and nineteenth-century heritage objects. During a forest inventory, some wood-borers not registered previously as timber structure pests in the Kizhi archipelago region (Republic of Karelia, Russia) were found. Twenty-seven species of foliose and fruticose lichens and ten species of crustose lichens were found on the monuments' structural elements.

Keywords:

• Service life
• timber structures
• fungi
• insects
• lichens
• climate change

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research [grant number 11-06-00165]. The authors thank the project team for their effective work. Special gratitude is due to Ms Olga Kislova for help with the language and Mr Roman Martjanov for his help with the map.